A large body of prior art exists in conjunction with the composition of matter, preparation, and uses of polysulfide silanes and to a lesser extent, mercaptosilanes, in rubber and other applications. In nearly all of this prior art, the methods taught for the preparation of these silanes involve solvents other than water and anhydrous conditions. In fact, it is taught that the presence of water during preparation or storage is detrimental to the stability and/or integrity of the silane compositions. The prior art describes preparation methods which require elaborate means to achieve and maintain anhydrous conditions such as the use of large quantities of hazardous metallic sodium and hydrogen sulfide.